Apart from the obvious winter pansies, what can you recommend for low-
maintenance container gardening this autumn/winter. (Jersey, if that
makes any difference: we tend not to get many frosts!)

On 21/9/08 09:45, in article , "Derek
Turner" wrote:

Apart from the obvious winter pansies, what can you recommend for low-
maintenance container gardening this autumn/winter. (Jersey, if that
makes any difference: we tend not to get many frosts!)

I remember some of my ivy leaved pelargoniums going through winters there!
But primulas give some lovely colour later and we've used Ophiopogon
planiscapus in some of our winter baskets here. The variegated ivies always
look cheerful, I think and if you put in some Tete a Tete bulbs and a few
Muscari you'll certainly have early spring colour.
It depends on how large your containers are but one of the best plants I've
ever known either in Jersey or here is Euryops chrysanthemoides and I'd
recommend that without hesitation. There is also E. pectinatus (which a
certain Jersey garden centre tried to tell me had different leaves because
they were the young form!!) I think the leaves of the latter are more
attractive but it is a bit more tender. Both are low growing, spreading
shrubs that flower their socks off, pause to take a breath and start all
over again. All in all, I should think it must flower about 8 months of the
year, at least. Our E. chrysanthemoides has been in a -5 frost here in a
container and in a border, which has checked it a bit but then it's
recovered and started flowering again. At present, we have one in an Ali
Baba shaped pot and one in an ordinary pot. Then we have a few dotted here
and there in borders and banks and all flower amazingly.

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
(new website online)

Derek Turner wrote:
Apart from the obvious winter pansies, what can you recommend for low-
maintenance container gardening this autumn/winter. (Jersey, if that
makes any difference: we tend not to get many frosts!)

If there is enough sunlight, gerberas might still flower. They are most
certainly hardy enough - have survived happily bedded out here in Sussex for
4 years.

--
Jeff
(cut "thetape" to reply)

On Sun, 21 Sep 2008 10:24:37 +0100, Sacha wrote:

some excellent, snipped suggestions

Thanks. Been to Ransoms today and came out £30+ lighter. Couldn't get E.
chrys. but got a nice specimen of what I'm pretty sure is E. pect. Got
some nice subtle dark purple (matrix)and white-with-a hint-of-purple
(babyface marina) pansies to complement the mixed muscaris bulbs and
Ophiopogon, so that's the front sorted in subtle blue and white. The
Euryops and tete-a-tete should make a nice gaudy yellow show in the
(sunnier) rear courtyard. Sorted.

I'd go for heucheras (any of the purple leaved varieties) and ornamental grasses. If you're talking about pots, then variegated ivies. If you're quick, a winter-flowering jasmine would be good.
If you're in the Channel Islands, you should be able to keep virtually anything going thro the winter.

On 22/9/08 18:42, in article , "Derek
Turner" wrote:

On Sun, 21 Sep 2008 10:24:37 +0100, Sacha wrote:

some excellent, snipped suggestions

Thanks. Been to Ransoms today and came out £30+ lighter. Couldn't get E.
chrys. but got a nice specimen of what I'm pretty sure is E. pect. Got
some nice subtle dark purple (matrix)and white-with-a hint-of-purple
(babyface marina) pansies to complement the mixed muscaris bulbs and
Ophiopogon, so that's the front sorted in subtle blue and white. The
Euryops and tete-a-tete should make a nice gaudy yellow show in the
(sunnier) rear courtyard. Sorted.

I wish you'd been able to wait until we next come over. I'm still gasping
at those prices, well though I remember them!
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
(new website online)